Automatic oiler.



UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

JOHN L. SCHRODE,"OF MARION, KENTUCKY.

AUTOMATIC OILER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN L. ScHRoDE, citizen of the United States,residing at Marion, .in the county of Crittenden and State of Kentucky,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Oilers,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to lubricating devices and its object is to producean automatic oiler for journals, slide blocks or any bearings which areliable tobecome heated when the supply of oil becomes deficient. Thephysical properties of the substances used for lubricating purposesrender it practically impossible to produce apurely mechanical devicewhich will supply a uniform uantity of the lubricant to a bearing, ortiat will vary such supply according to the changing circumstances andconditions such as intermitting movements of the machinery andvariations in the temperature of the air.

The chief objects of my invention are to provide an automatic devicethat will reguate the flow of oil to a bearing so that the quantitysupplied will change to correspond with the varying conditions. Thuswhen the journal is revolving slowly the automatic adjustment willpermit only a small quantity of the lubricant to enter the bearing.Shouldfhowever, the shaft be given a greater speed, or if the orificethrou h which the oil is fed should become partia the journal-begin toheat the automatic features of the device willcause an increase in theoil flow.

Another object of my improvement is to provide means for manuallyadjusting the mechanism so as to regulate the flow. This will sometimesbe necessary on account of a change in the kind of oil used or duringextremes of atmospheric temperature.

I make use of the variations produced in the temperature of the bearinto bring about the desired automatic action. ittempts have heretoforebeen made to utilize this factor in producing a similar efect by causingthe requisite mechanical movements directly from a thermostat, which hasgenerally been a metal either in fluid or solid form. The results so farhave not been satisfactory and this failure has been due in largemeasure to the inability to produce a sufficient movement in the valvewhen the variations in the thermostat are slight. It

has been my aim to overcome this disadvan- Specification of LettersPatent. Application filed November 22, 1906.- Serial No; 344,699.

ly clogged and Patented .Fe'b. 16, 1909.

tage by the employmentof an electro-magnet to govern the oil valvedirectly, an electric battery or other sourceof electricity to energizesaid magnet and to control the electric circuit by means of a thermostatattached to the oil cup.

In the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification :-Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of my irriproved automaticlubricator shown attached to a bearing, a. portion of the drawing beingdiagrammatic; .ig. 2 is a plan view of the device the electricalconnections being diagrammatic and Fig. 3 is a plan view of-the underside of the cover removed from the cup.

Referring to the drawing the numeral 4 indicates an oil-cup, supportedby a base 5 from the center of which rises a tube 6, provided with aplurality of openings 6 through which the oil passes to the bore 7 ofsaid tube, the lower extremity of which has a conical aperture 8. Thelower part of the said bore is reduced in size and provided with threads9 which engage internal threads in a tubular support 10. The lowerportion of said support has a central passage 11 communicating with itsbore, and within the support is located a sight-feed glass in the formof a hollow cylinder 12, open at both ends.

A packing ring 13 is interposed between the body 14 of the oil cup andthe base 5. The body 14 is preferably made of glass in the common formofoiler, and is closed above by a cap or cover 15 furnished with anorifice 16 for filling and has a closure 17 mounted to turn upon thecentral tube 6. A nut 18 engaging threads on said tube holds the coverin place upon the cup. A plunger 19 is fitted to the bore 7 and isreduced below to form a valve stem 20 leaving a space between said stemand the walls of the tube to allow the oil to pass freely downward. Thelower end of the stem 20 is conical in shape to engage a similarlyshaped valve.

seat 21 formed at the junction of the bore 7 with the aperture 8. Theupper part of the plunger 19 is reduced and upon this is mounted acoiled spring 22 which engages the shoulder formed by the said reductionand is held in place by a cap 23 which is threaded to engage the threadsupon the outer surface of the tube 6. An .electro magnet 24 secured tothe underside of the cover 15 by screws or rivets 25 is provided passesthrough a protective cover therr'nostat.

with an armature 26 to which is rigidly fastened a bent arm. 27 whichpro ects through an a erture in the cover 15 and is then bent to bentinto an eye 28? to encircle theu'pper reduced end of the plunger, whereit is held in place by a nut 29 engaging threads 30 on said reduced endof the plunger. f

The support 10 rests upon a plate 31 which extends-laterally and isattached to a frame piece 32 which carries a thermostat 33 consisting ofa compound bar formed by joining two unequally expansible metals, 1n awell known manner. One end of said thermostat supported by insulatingblocks 34 is furnished with a binding screw 35. To this is secured anelectric conductor 36 which is in electric contact with the metal of theapparatus. In the opposite end of the frame 32 is a binding screw 37 inelectric connection with a contact .screw 38 which 39 for the A wire 40connects the screw 37 with the source of electric energy and from thelatter a wire 41 makes electric connection with a binding post 42 towhich one terminal 43 of theelectro magnet leads, while the otherterminal 44 is in electric contact with the metal cover 15.

45 represents a fragment of a shaft journaled' in a bearing 46. Thelower end 47 of the support 10, reduced in size, is screwed into thebearing 46 to give the apparatus a firm support. An oil hole 48 in thebearing registers with the passage 11.

'1 he operation of the device is as follows A sufiicient quantity of oilhaving been placed in the cup to cover one or more of the orifices 6 thetension of the spring 22 is adjustedv by means of the nut 29 so that thevalve 21 will admit a certain quantity of oil to the bearing. The properconnections having been made with the source of elec trical energy asdescribed above, and the shaft having been put in motion there will beno change in the position of the valve 21 unless the bearing shouldbecome heated to a sufficient extent to cause the thermostat to makecontact with screw 38; The instant such contact is made the electromagnet will become energized and the armature 26 will be raised by theattraction of the magnet. Through the attached arm 27 and projections 28the plunger 19 will be lifted and the valve 21 opened and a greaterquantity of oil will flow therethroug As soon as the bearing has becomecooled by this augmented supply i of the lubricant the thermostat willresume its initial position breaking the contact with orrn an extension28 which isthe point .with an oil cup,

attached to the of the screw 38 allowing the armature to fall andpermitting the valve 21 to resume its original position. By turning thescrew 38 the-sensitiveness of t e thermostat may be increased ordiminished and the automatic feature of the appliance regulated toanicety.

Having ters Patent, is

1. In an automatic oiler, thecombination chamber, a valve between thesaid chamber and cup, and a valve stem extending through sald cup andcover, of an electro-magnet suspended from said cover within the cup, an

thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure byLeta cover therefor, a sight-feed armature for the magnet, a bent armattachedto the armature and projecting externall a connectlon betweensaid arm and the va vestem, a thermostat, and circuit connectionsbetweensaid magnet and a source of electric energy, said connections includingthe thermostat and the casing of the oil cup.

2. In an automatic oiler, the combination with an oil cup, a covertherefor, a sight-feed chamber below the cup, a valve between thechamber and said cup, and a valve stem extending through said cover, ofan electromagnet suspended from said cover within the cup, an armaturefor the magnet, a bent arm armature and projecting externally to thecup, a slidable cgnnection between the said arm and the valve stem, athermostat arranged externally to. the oil cup, and circuit connectionsbetween said magnet and a source of electric energy, said connectionincluding the thermostat and the casing of the cup.

3. In an automatic oiler, the combination with an oil cup, having acover, chamber below the cup, a valve between the chamber and said cup,and a valve stem extending externally to the cover, of an electromagnetsuspended from said cover within the cup, an armature for the magnet, arigid bent arm attached to the armature andprojecting connection betweenthe saidarm and the valve stem, a thermostat arranged exter nally to thecup, a battery, and circuit wires. between said magnet and the battery,said wires including the thermostat and casing of the oil cup incircuit. i

In testimony whereof I afiix in presence of two my signature witnesses.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM T. DAUGHTREY, FREDERICK WARREN HUNNZ.

externally to the cup, an adjustable.

JOHN L. SCHRODE.

